Associating a meeting room with a meeting

ABSTRACT

Arrangements described relate to associating a meeting room with a meeting. A meeting invitation being accessed by a first recipient can be identified, wherein the meeting invitation is sent to a plurality of recipients. A location associated with the first recipient of the meeting invitation can be identified, and whether the location associated with the first recipient is similar to a location associated with a sender of the meeting invitation can be determined. Responsive to determining that the location associated with the first recipient is not similar to the location associated with a sender of the meeting invitation, the first recipient can be prompted to reserve a meeting room at the location associated with the first recipient. Responsive to receiving from the first recipient an indication of the meeting room being reserved, an association between the meeting and the meeting room can be created.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/771,808, filed on Feb. 20, 2013, the entirety of which isincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Arrangements described herein relate to managing meeting invitations.

People in an organization may have meetings with colleagues in otherlocations. Meeting times may be adjusted to each location's local time.When a user receives an invitation for a meeting from colleagues in adifferent location, the user may then need to reserve a meeting roomand/or other resources locally. If other users are located in the samelocation, the user may need to manually inform such other users that thelocal meeting room has been reserved.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Arrangements described herein relate to managing meeting invitationsand, more particularly, to associating a meeting room with a meeting.

An embodiment can include a method of associating a meeting room with ameeting. A meeting invitation being accessed by a first recipient can beidentified, wherein the meeting invitation is sent to a plurality ofrecipients. A location associated with the first recipient of themeeting invitation can be identified, and whether the locationassociated with the first recipient is similar to a location associatedwith a sender of the meeting invitation can be determined. Responsive todetermining that the location associated with the first recipient is notsimilar to the location associated with a sender of the meetinginvitation, the first recipient can be prompted to reserve a meetingroom at the location associated with the first recipient. Responsive toreceiving from the first recipient an indication of the meeting roombeing reserved, an association between the meeting and the meeting roomcan be created, wherein the association between the meeting and themeeting room is configured to be presented to at least a secondrecipient who receives the meeting invitation, and who is associatedwith the location associated with the first recipient, when the secondrecipient accesses the meeting invitation.

In a further embodiment, responsive to determining that a number ofrecipients of the meeting invitation have accepted the meetinginvitation and to meet in the reserved meeting room exceeds the capacityof the reserved meeting room, at least one of the recipients can beprompted to reserve at least one new meeting room. Responsive toreceiving a selection of the new meeting room, at least one of therecipients of the meeting invitation who have accepted the meetinginvitation to meet in the previously reserved meeting room can benotified to instead meet in the new meeting room.

Another embodiment can include a system having a processor. Theprocessor can be configured to initiate executable operations includingidentifying a meeting invitation being accessed by a first recipient,wherein the meeting invitation is sent to a plurality of recipients. Alocation associated with the first recipient of the meeting invitationcan be identified, and whether the location associated with the firstrecipient is similar to a location associated with a sender of themeeting invitation can be determined. Responsive to determining that thelocation associated with the first recipient is not similar to thelocation associated with a sender of the meeting invitation, the firstrecipient can be prompted to reserve a meeting room at the locationassociated with the first recipient. Responsive to receiving from thefirst recipient an indication of the meeting room being reserved, anassociation between the meeting and the meeting room can be created,wherein the association between the meeting and the meeting room isconfigured to be presented to at least a second recipient who receivesthe meeting invitation, and who is associated with the locationassociated with the first recipient, when the second recipient accessesthe meeting invitation.

Another embodiment can include a computer program product forassociating a meeting room with a meeting. The computer program productcan include a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereonprogram code that, when executed, configures a processor to performoperations including identifying a meeting invitation being accessed bya first recipient, wherein the meeting invitation is sent to a pluralityof recipients. A location associated with the first recipient of themeeting invitation can be identified, and whether the locationassociated with the first recipient is similar to a location associatedwith a sender of the meeting invitation can be determined. Responsive todetermining that the location associated with the first recipient is notsimilar to the location associated with a sender of the meetinginvitation, the first recipient can be prompted to reserve a meetingroom at the location associated with the first recipient. Responsive toreceiving from the first recipient an indication of the meeting roombeing reserved, an association between the meeting and the meeting roomcan be created, wherein the association between the meeting and themeeting room is configured to be presented to at least a secondrecipient who receives the meeting invitation, and who is associatedwith the location associated with the first recipient, when the secondrecipient accesses the meeting invitation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system for associating ameeting room with a meeting in accordance with one embodiment disclosedwithin this specification.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method of associating a meetingroom with a meeting in accordance with another embodiment disclosedwithin this specification.

FIG. 3 depicts a server for associating a meeting room with a meeting inaccordance with another embodiment disclosed within this specification.

FIG. 4 depicts a client device for associating a meeting room with ameeting in accordance with another embodiment disclosed within thisspecification.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentinvention may be embodied as a system, method or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the formof an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.”Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in one or more computer-readablemedium(s) having computer-readable program code embodied, e.g., stored,thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer-readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signalmedium or a computer-readable storage medium. The phrase“computer-readable storage medium” means a non-transitory storagemedium. A computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but notlimited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared,or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitablecombination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustivelist) of the computer-readable storage medium would include thefollowing: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber,a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatiledisc (DVD), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or anysuitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document,a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that cancontain, or store a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

A computer-readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer-readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer-readable signal medium may be any computer-readable medium thatis not a computer-readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer-readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber, cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing. Computer program code for carrying out operations foraspects of the present invention may be written in any combination ofone or more programming languages, including an object orientedprogramming language such as Java™, Smalltalk, C++ or the like andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The program codemay execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user'scomputer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user'scomputer and partly on a remote computer, or entirely on the remotecomputer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may beconnected to the user's computer through any type of network, includinga local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or theconnection may be made to an external computer (for example, through theInternet using an Internet Service Provider).

Aspects of the present invention are described below with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer, other programmable data processing apparatus,or other devices create means for implementing the functions/actsspecified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable medium that can direct a computer, other programmabledata processing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other devices to produce a computerimplemented process such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

For purposes of simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shownin the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example,the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative toother elements for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate,reference numbers are repeated among the figures to indicatecorresponding, analogous, or like features.

Arrangements described herein relate to managing meeting invitationsand, more particularly, to associating a meeting room with a meeting. Inillustration, a person (hereinafter “recipient”) can receive aninvitation for a meeting. A location associated with the recipient, forexample the location where the recipient works, can be automaticallyidentified and compared to the location associated with the sender ofthe invitation. If the locations are not similar (e.g., not in the samebuilding, city, etc.), the recipient can be prompted to select a meetingroom at the recipient's location. For example, a list of meeting roomsavailable at the time of the meeting can be presented to the user whenthe user accesses the meeting invitation, and the user can select atleast one of the meeting rooms to reserve the meeting room. The selectedmeeting room can be associated with the meeting.

When one or more other recipients who receive the meeting invitationaccess the invitation, the association between the meeting room and themeeting can be indicated to such other recipients. For example, whensuch a recipient opens the meeting invitation or accepts the meetinginvitation, a message can be presented to the recipient indicating themeeting room that has been reserved for the meeting and that therecipient can go to that meeting room at the appropriate time toparticipate in the meeting.

In some instances the meeting room may change. For example, the numberof recipients who accept the meeting invitation may exceed the capacityof the meeting room. In such case, an alert can be presented to one ofthe recipients to select a new meeting room. For instance, a list ofavailable meeting rooms having sufficient capacity can be presented tothe recipient. When the new meeting room is reserved, recipients whohave already accepted the meeting invitation can be alerted to themeeting room change. For example, an updated meeting invitation or ane-mail can be sent to such recipients indicating the meeting roomchange.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system 100 for associating ameeting room with a meeting in accordance with one embodiment disclosedwithin this specification. The system 100 can include a server 110 and aplurality of client devices 120, 122, 124. The server 110 and the clientdevices 120-124 can be communicatively linked via one or morecommunication networks 130. The communication networks 130 can beimplemented as, or include, any of a variety of different networks suchas a WAN, a LAN, a wireless network, a mobile network (e.g., a cellularcommunication network), a Virtual Private Network (VPN), the Internet,the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), or the like.

The server 110 can be implemented as a processing system comprising atleast one processor and memory, or as a plurality of systems which arecommunicatively linked, configured to execute a meeting serverapplication 140. The meeting server application 140 can be a stand-aloneapplication configured to run on a suitable operating system hosted bythe server 110, or can be a plug-in or module configured to execute as acomponent of another application, such as a calendaring serverapplication, a scheduling server application, an e-mail serverapplication, or the like.

The client devices 120-124 each can be implemented as a processingsystem comprising at least one processor and memory. Examples of suchprocessing systems include, but are not limited to, a computer (e.g., aworkstation, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, anetbook computer, a mobile computer, etc.), a smart phone, a personaldigital assistant, a network appliance, or the like. A respectivemeeting client application 150, 152, 154 can execute on each of theclient devices 120-124. The meeting client applications 150-154 can bestand-alone applications configured to run on a suitable operatingsystem hosted by the client devices 120-124, or can be a plug-ins ormodules configured to execute as components of other applications, suchas a calendaring client application, a scheduling client application, ane-mail client application, or the like.

In operation, a user of the client device 120 (e.g., a person) can, viathe meeting client application 150, generate a meeting invitation 160and send the meeting invitation 160 to one or more recipients. Themeeting invitation 160 can be sent via the meeting server application140, though this need not be the case. In any case, the meeting clientapplications 152-154 can receive the meeting invitation 160. As usedherein, the term “meeting invitation” means an invitation to participatein a meeting or conference. When generating or sending the meetinginvitation 160, the sender can reserve a meeting room at a locationassociated with the sender.

When a first recipient using the client device 122 accesses the meetinginvitation, for example by opening the meeting invitation or acceptingthe meeting invitation, the meeting client application 152 can determinea location associated with the first recipient. Further, the meetingclient application 152 can determine whether the location associatedwith the first recipient is similar to a location associated with asender of the meeting invitation 160. In another arrangement, themeeting client application 152 can communicate with the meeting serverapplication 140, and the meeting server application 140 can make suchdetermination. In yet another arrangement, the meeting serverapplication 140 can determine the location associated with the firstrecipient and determine whether the location associated with the firstrecipient is similar to a location associated with a sender of themeeting invitation 160. In such arrangement, when the first recipientaccesses the meeting invitation, the meeting client application 152 cancommunicate a message indicating such to the meeting server application140. Thus, the meeting client application 152 and/or the meeting serverapplication 140 can identify the meeting invitation being accessed bythe first recipient.

The respective locations of the sender and the first recipient can bedetermined in any suitable manner. For example, the locations can bedetermined based on respective e-mail identifiers associated with thesender and the first recipient, respective IP addresses associated withthe sender and the first recipient, respective records associated withthe sender and the first recipient contained in a personnel directory(not shown), GPS coordinates, or the like. In another arrangement, thefirst recipient can be prompted by the meeting server application 140 orthe meeting client application 152 to enter the location associated withthe first recipient. For example, the first recipient can enter alocation where the first recipient intends to be at the time scheduledtime of the meeting. Moreover, the sender of the meeting invitation canenter a location where the sender intends to be at the time scheduledtime of the meeting. The location associated with the sender can becommunicated to the meeting server application 140 and/or to the meetingclient application 152. Indeed, such location can be indicated in themeeting invitation 160.

Further, the meeting server application 140 and/or the meeting clientapplications 150-152 can implement artificial intelligence to learn therespective working patterns of the sender and first recipient in orderto predict the respective locations associated with the sender and firstrecipient. Thus, rather than newly discovering the respective locationswhen the meeting invitation 160 is accessed, the artificial intelligencecan be used to predict the respective locations. Of course, the senderand first recipient can be prompted to confirm the respective predictedlocations and change the locations if the predictions are incorrect.

A determination can be made as to whether the location associated withthe first recipient corresponds to the location associated with thesender. Such determination can be made by the meeting server application140 or the meeting client application 152. Responsive to thedetermination indicating that the locations do not correspond (i.e.,they are different locations), an indication 170 can be provided to thefirst recipient to prompt the first participant to reserve a meetingroom at the location associated with the first recipient. For example, apop-up window can be presented by the meeting server application 140 orthe meeting client application 152 to indicate that the sender of themeeting invitation is at another location and that the first recipientmay wish to reserve a local meeting room from which to participate inthe meeting. Accordingly, the first recipient can initiate reservationan appropriate meeting room. If the meeting room is unavailable at thescheduled time of the meeting, the reservation can be declined and thefirst recipient can be prompted to reserve another meeting room. Themeeting room that is reserved can be used by the first recipient toparticipate in the meeting at the scheduled time.

In one aspect of the present arrangements, the meeting serverapplication 140 or the meeting client application 152 can suggest to thefirst recipient a meeting room that is available at the scheduled timeof the meeting and prompt the first recipient to confirm a reservationfor that meeting room. In another arrangement, the meeting serverapplication 140 or the meeting client application 152 can present to thefirst recipient a list of meeting rooms available at the locationassociated with the first recipient at the scheduled time of themeeting. In one arrangement, the meeting rooms indicated in the list canbe meeting rooms having a maximum capacity at least equal to the totalnumber of recipients associated with the location with which the firstrecipient is associated.

The list can be provided in the pop-up window or another window. Fromthe list, the first recipient can select a meeting room to reserve, andreserve that meeting room. For example, the meeting server application140 or the meeting client application 152 can interface with a meetingroom reservation application to access the list of available meetingrooms, and automatically reserve the meeting room selected by the firstparticipant at the scheduled time of the meeting. The meeting roomreservation application may be executed on the server 110, the clientdevice 122 or on another processing system to which the server 110and/or client device 122 is/are communicatively linked.

The above described processes can be implemented by the meeting serverapplication 140 or the meeting client application 150 to reserve themeeting room reserved by the sender of the meeting invitation 160. Inthis regard, the meeting room reservation application executed on theserver 110, or a meeting room reservation application executed on theclient device 120 may be used to reserve the meeting room at thelocation associated with the sender. In this regard, the sender of themeeting invitation 160 can select a meeting room having suitablecapacity for the number of people expected to participate in the meetingat the location associated with the sender.

The reserved meeting room can be associated with the meeting. Forexample, once the first recipient has reserved the meeting room, themeeting client application 152 can generate a meeting room selection 180and communicate this to the meeting server application 140. In anotheraspect, the client device 122 can communicate with the meeting serverapplication 140, and the meeting room selection 180 can be inputdirectly into the meeting server application 140. In one arrangement,the meeting room selection can include an association between themeeting and the selected meeting room, and such association can beconfigured to be presented to other recipients associated with thelocation that is associated with the first recipient. In this regard,the meeting room selection 180 can include an identifier for the meetingand an identifier for the selected meeting room. The meeting roomselection 180 further may include an indicator of the capacity of theselected meeting room, an identifier corresponding to who reserved theselected meeting room, etc. Responsive to receiving the meeting roomselection 180, the meeting server application 140 can generate a recordin a data table (e.g., in a database) that includes the meetingidentifier, an identifier corresponding to the reserved meeting room,the capacity of the reserved meeting room, who reserved the meetingroom, and any other pertinent information. In another arrangement, themeeting room selection 180 need not create the association between thereserved meeting room and the meeting. Instead, such association can becreated by the meeting server application 140.

When other recipients of the meeting invitation 160 access the meetinginvitation 160, the respective locations associated with such recipientscan be determined as previously described. Those recipients whoseassociated locations correspond to the location associated with thefirst recipient (e.g., they are the same location) can be presented theassociation between the meeting and the selected meeting room. Forexample, such recipients can be presented a suggestion to use thereserved meeting room to participate in the meeting. The additionalrecipients can accept or decline such suggestion. Indeed, one or more ofthe additional recipients may choose to reserve another meeting room,for example as previously described.

In illustration, the meeting server application 140 or the meetingclient application 154 can receive an indication from a second recipientof whether the reserved meeting room at the first recipient's associatedlocation is suitable for the second recipient. Responsive to theindication indicating that the reserved meeting room is not suitable forthe second recipient, the second recipient can be prompted to reserveanother meeting room. For example, an indication of a meeting roomsuitable to the second recipient can be received from the secondrecipient. In a further aspect, responsive to receiving from the secondrecipient an indication indicating that the reserved meeting room is notsuitable for the second recipient, a list of new meeting rooms availableat the location associated with the second recipient at the scheduledtime of the meeting can be presented to the second recipient. Since thesecond recipient indicated the meeting room reserved by the firstparticipant is not suitable, the list can be exclusive of the meetingroom selected by the first recipient. The second participant can selecta suitable meeting room from the list.

The meeting server application 140 and/or one or more of the meetingclient applications 150-154 can monitor the number of recipients whoaccept the meeting invitation 160 and choose to participate in themeeting room reserved by the first participant. In some instances thenumber of such recipients may exceed the capacity of the reservedmeeting room. Responsive to determining that this is the case, at leastone of the recipients can be prompted to reserve at least one newmeeting room, for example as previously described. Responsive to suchrecipient reserving the new meeting room, at least one other recipientwho has accepted the meeting invitation to meet in the originallyreserved meeting room can be notified to meet in the new meeting room.

In illustration, when a second recipient using the client device 124accesses (e.g., accepts) the meeting invitation 160, and the locationassociated with the second recipient corresponds to the locationassociated with the first recipient, the meeting server application 140can identify the total number of recipients who have accepted themeeting invitation 160 and who are scheduled to use the originallyselected meeting room. If this number exceeds the capacity of theoriginally selected meeting room, a new meeting room can be reserved bythe second recipient, and the meeting client application 154 cangenerate a new meeting room selection 182 and communicate this to themeeting server application 140. In another arrangement, the meeting roomselection can be communicated directly to the meeting server application140 by the client device 124 without using the meeting clientapplication 154. The new meeting room selection 182 can include anassociation between the new meeting room and the meeting. In thisregard, the new meeting room selection 182 can include an identifier forthe meeting, an identifier for the new meeting room, an indicator of thecapacity of the new meeting room, an identifier corresponding to whoreserved the new meeting room, etc. Further, the meeting serverapplication 140 can generate a new record to the data table with suchinformation, or update the previously generated record.

In one arrangement, some recipients can use the originally reservedmeeting room and some recipients can use the new meeting room toparticipate in the meeting. In this case, a portion of the recipientsassociated with that location can be notified to use the new meetingroom for the meeting. In another arrangement, the new meeting room canhave adequate capacity for all of the recipients who will attend themeeting at that location, and the reservation of the original meetingroom can be cancelled. In this case, all of the recipients associatedwith that location can be notified to use the new meeting room for themeeting. The notifications can be generated as an update to the meetinginvitation 160, as e-mails sent to the affected recipients, or generatedin any other suitable manner.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method 200 of associating ameeting room with a meeting in accordance with another embodimentdisclosed within this specification. At step 202 a meeting invitationbeing accessed by a first recipient can be identified, wherein themeeting invitation is sent to a plurality of recipients. At step 204, alocation associated with the first recipient of the meeting invitationcan be identified. At step 206, a determination can be made as towhether the location associated with the first recipient is similar to alocation associated with a sender of the meeting invitation. At step208, responsive to determining that the location associated with thefirst recipient is not similar to the location associated with a senderof the meeting invitation, the first recipient can be prompted toreserve a meeting room at the location associated with the firstrecipient. At step 210, responsive to receiving from the first recipientan indication of the meeting room being reserved, an association betweenthe meeting and the meeting room can be created via a processor. Theassociation between the meeting and the meeting room can be configuredto be presented to at least a second recipient who receives the meetinginvitation, and who is associated with the location associated with thefirst recipient, when the second recipient accesses the meetinginvitation.

At step 212, responsive to determining that a number of recipients ofthe meeting invitation have accepted the meeting invitation and to meetin the reserved meeting room exceeds the capacity of the reservedmeeting room, at least one of the recipients can be prompted to reserveat least one new meeting room. At step 214, responsive to receiving aselection of the new meeting room, at least one of the recipients of themeeting invitation who have accepted the meeting invitation can benotified to meet in the reserved meeting room to instead meet in the newmeeting room.

FIG. 3 depicts the server 110 of FIG. 1, which may be used to associatea meeting room with a meeting in accordance with another embodimentdisclosed within this specification. The server 110 can include at leastone processor 305 (e.g., a central processing unit) coupled to memoryelements 310 through a system bus 315 or other suitable circuitry. Assuch, the server 110 can store program code within the memory elements310. The processor 305 can execute the program code accessed from thememory elements 310 via the system bus 315. It should be appreciatedthat the server 110 can be implemented in the form of any systemincluding a processor and memory that is capable of performing thefunctions and/or operations described within this specification. Forexample, the server 110 can be implemented as a processing system, suchas a computer, or one or more systems that are communicatively linked.

The memory elements 310 can include one or more physical memory devicessuch as, for example, local memory 320 and one or more bulk storagedevices 325. Local memory 320 refers to RAM or other non-persistentmemory device(s) generally used during actual execution of the programcode. The bulk storage device(s) 325 can be implemented as a hard diskdrive (HDD), solid state drive (SSD), or other persistent data storagedevice. The server 110 also can include one or more cache memories (notshown) that provide temporary storage of at least some program code inorder to reduce the number of times program code must be retrieved fromthe bulk storage device 325 during execution.

One or more input/output (I/O) devices, such as a network adapter 330,can be coupled to the server 110. The I/O devices can be coupled to theserver 110 either directly or through intervening I/O controllers.Modems, cable modems, transceivers, and Ethernet cards are examples ofdifferent types of network adapters 330 that can be used with server110.

As pictured in FIG. 3, the memory elements 310 can store the meetingserver application 140. Being implemented in the form of executableprogram code, the meeting server application 140 can be executed by theserver 110 and, as such, can be considered part of the server 110.Moreover, the meeting server application 140 is a functional datastructure that imparts functionality when employed as part of the server110. The meeting server application 140 can perform one or more of thefunctions described with respect to FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 depicts the client device 122 of FIG. 1, which may be used toassociate a meeting room with a meeting in accordance with anotherembodiment disclosed within this specification. The client devices 120,124 may be configured in a similar manner.

The client device 122 can include at least one processor 405 coupled tomemory elements 410 through a system bus 415 or other suitablecircuitry. As such, the client device 122 can store program code withinthe memory elements 410. The processor 405 can execute the program codeaccessed from the memory elements 410 via the system bus 415. It shouldbe appreciated that the client device 122 can be implemented in the formof any system including a processor and memory that is capable ofperforming the functions and/or operations described within thisspecification.

The memory elements 410 can include one or more physical memory devicessuch as, for example, local memory 420 and one or more bulk storagedevices 425. The bulk storage device(s) 425 can be implemented as a harddisk drive (HDD), solid state drive (SSD), or other persistent datastorage device. The client device 122 also can include one or more cachememories (not shown) that provide temporary storage of at least someprogram code in order to reduce the number of times program code must beretrieved from the bulk storage device 425 during execution.

Input/output (I/O) devices such as a display 430, a pointing device 435and, optionally, a keyboard 440 can be coupled to the client device 122.The I/O devices can be coupled to the client device 122 either directlyor through intervening I/O controllers. For example, the display 430 canbe coupled to the client device 122 via a graphics processing unit(GPU), which may be a component of the processor 405 or a discretedevice. One or more network adapters 445 also can be coupled to clientdevice 122 to enable client device 122 to become coupled to othersystems, computer systems, remote printers, and/or remote storagedevices through intervening private or public networks. Modems, cablemodems, transceivers, and Ethernet cards are examples of different typesof network adapters 445 that can be used with client device 122.

As pictured in FIG. 4, the memory elements 410 can store the meetingclient application 152. Being implemented in the form of executableprogram code, the meeting client application 152 can be executed by theclient device 122 and, as such, can be considered part of the clientdevice 122. Moreover, the meeting client application 152 is a functionaldata structure that imparts functionality when employed as part of theclient device 122. The meeting client application 152 can perform one ormore of the functions described with respect to FIG. 1.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “includes,”“including,” “comprises,” and/or “comprising,” when used in thisspecification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps,operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude thepresence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature,structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodimentis included in at least one embodiment disclosed within thisspecification. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “inan embodiment,” and similar language throughout this specification may,but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.

The term “plurality,” as used herein, is defined as two or more thantwo. The term “another,” as used herein, is defined as at least a secondor more. The term “coupled,” as used herein, is defined as connected,whether directly without any intervening elements or indirectly with oneor more intervening elements, unless otherwise indicated. Two elementsalso can be coupled mechanically, electrically, or communicativelylinked through a communication channel, pathway, network, or system. Theterm “and/or” as used herein refers to and encompasses any and allpossible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Itwill also be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. maybe used herein to describe various elements, these elements should notbe limited by these terms, as these terms are only used to distinguishone element from another unless stated otherwise or the contextindicates otherwise.

The term “if” may be construed to mean “when” or “upon” or “in responseto determining” or “in response to detecting,” depending on the context.Similarly, the phrase “if it is determined” or “if [a stated conditionor event] is detected” may be construed to mean “upon determining” or“in response to determining” or “upon detecting [the stated condition orevent]” or “in response to detecting [the stated condition or event],”depending on the context.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of the embodiments disclosed within this specification havebeen presented for purposes of illustration and description, but are notintended to be exhaustive or limited to the form disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of theembodiments of the invention. The embodiments were chosen and describedin order to best explain the principles of the invention and thepractical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the artto understand the inventive arrangements for various embodiments withvarious modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of associating a meeting room with ameeting, the method comprising: identifying, by a meeting serverapplication executed by a processor, an electronic meeting invitationfor a meeting being accessed by a first recipient, wherein theelectronic meeting invitation is sent to a plurality of recipients;identifying a location associated with the first recipient of theelectronic meeting invitation; determining whether the locationassociated with the first recipient corresponds to a location associatedwith a sender of the electronic meeting invitation who has reserved afirst meeting room for the meeting at a location associated with thesender; responsive to determining that the location associated with thefirst recipient does not correspond to the location associated with thesender of the electronic meeting invitation, prompting the firstrecipient to select a second meeting room for the meeting at thelocation associated with the first recipient, wherein the second meetingroom at the location associated with the first recipient is not locatedat the location associated with the sender of the electronic meetinginvitation and the first meeting room remains reserved for the meeting;automatically reserving the second meeting room by the meeting serverapplication interfacing with a meeting room reservation application; andresponsive to the second meeting room being reserved, by the processor,creating an association between the meeting and the second meeting roomby automatically generating a record in a data table that identifies atleast the meeting and the second meeting room, wherein the associationbetween the meeting and the second meeting room is configured to bepresented by a meeting client application executing on a client deviceto at least a second recipient who receives the electronic meetinginvitation, and who is associated with the location associated with thefirst recipient, responsive to the second recipient accessing theelectronic meeting invitation.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: responsive to receiving the electronic meeting invitation bythe first recipient, presenting to the first recipient a list of meetingrooms available at the location associated with the first recipient atthe scheduled time of the meeting; wherein the second meeting room isselected from the list of meeting rooms.
 3. The method of claim 2,further comprising: determining a total number of recipients associatedwith the location associated with the first recipient; whereinpresenting to the first recipient a list of meeting rooms available atthe location associated with the first recipient at the scheduled timeof the meeting comprises: presenting to the first recipient a list ofmeeting rooms having a maximum capacity at least equal to the totalnumber of recipients associated with the location with which the firstrecipient is associated.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:receiving an indication from the second recipient of whether thereserved meeting room is suitable for the second recipient; andresponsive to the indication indicating that the reserved meeting roomis not suitable for the second recipient, prompting the second recipientto reserve another meeting room.
 5. The method of claim 4, furthercomprising: responsive to the indication indicating that the reservedmeeting room is not suitable for the second recipient, presenting to thesecond recipient a list of new meeting rooms available at the locationassociated with the second recipient, exclusive of the meeting roomselected by the first recipient, at the scheduled time of the meeting;and receiving from the second recipient a selection of at least one ofthe new meeting rooms.
 6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:responsive to the indication indicating that the reserved meeting roomis not suitable for the second recipient, receiving from the secondrecipient an indication of a meeting room suitable to the secondrecipient.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: responsive todetermining that a number of recipients of the electronic meetinginvitation have accepted the electronic meeting invitation and to meetin the reserved meeting room exceeds the capacity of the reservedmeeting room, prompting at least one of the recipients to reserve atleast one new meeting room; and responsive to receiving a selection ofthe new meeting room, notifying at least one of the recipients of theelectronic meeting invitation who have accepted the electronic meetinginvitation to meet in the reserved meeting room to instead meet in thenew meeting room.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying alocation associated with the first recipient of the electronic meetinginvitation comprises: implementing artificial intelligence to learn arespective working pattern of the first recipient and, based on theworking pattern, predicting the location associated with the firstrecipient.